Former US tennis star Jennifer Capriati will face trial in December accused of stalking and battering her ex-boyfriend.

Ms Capriati, 37, is accused of punching Ivan Brannan, 28, while he worked out at the Oxygen Gym in North Palm Beach, Florida, on Valentine’s Day. The trial date was set at a hearing in Palm Beach,Florida, yesterday that Ms Capriati did not to attend.

Authorities claim Ms Capriati stalked Brannan for several months prior to the assault, which occurred a year after the couple separated. The charges were denied by Capriati’s lawyer Richard Lubin yesterday.

Ms Capriati turned professional at the age of just 13, going on to win a gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, and later winning the French and Australian Opens. In recent years her sporting achievements have been overshadowed by convictions for offences including marijuana possession and shoplifting.

In March this year, a spokeswoman for Ms Capriati denounced the stalking charges as “over-exaggeration”. Ms Capriati defended herself on Twitter, claiming: “I pushed a man that was verbally assaulting me.”